Chattanooga’s Former Coin-Op Retro Arcade Finds a New Home in The Boneyard Bar
Chattanooga, TN — Post-pandemic, Brian Hennen decided it was *game over* for his Coin-Op retro arcade on M.L. King Boulevard. Little did he know that, years later, it would gain extra lives in a new location.
Earlier this year, friends and owners of The Boneyard bar, Jared Padovani and Lewis Armistead, were navigating changes of their own. They had been renting space to a bicycle shop, but that agreement had come to an end. So they gave Hennen a call to see if he might be interested in joining forces.
“Initially, I said no,” Hennen recalls, “but then I quickly came to my senses. I just said, ‘Let’s do it’ — with no idea what was going to come about.”
Transforming the Space
For about six months, the friends immersed themselves in transforming the space, which they now unofficially refer to as “The Arcave.” What was once a bicycle shop now twinkles, beeps, and glows with video games and pinball machines from decades past.
Filled with steering wheel-style Mario Kart games, old-school pinball machines like *Creature from the Black Lagoon* and *Stargate*, a *Wimbledon* game, and fighting classics like *Mortal Kombat,* the nostalgia-filled haven is a paradise for gaming enthusiasts.
When designing the space, the rules were—there were no rules. Using chicken wire, tree branches, day-glow paint, and an array of funky ephemera, they turned the space into what Armistead describes as their life experiences and personalities *”wrapped up into a magical room.”*
Inspired by Chattanooga
“Our inspiration came from Chattanooga,” Armistead said. “There is lots of organic material contrasted with industrial elements. We’re both inspired by the old factory buildings and the juxtaposition of the beautiful outdoors we have here with the industrial cityscape.”
Look up, and you’ll spot the spinning astronaut, perpetually hurtling through space on a repurposed disco ball motor. Long-time Chattanoogans may recognize the old amusement park cart from Lake Winnepesaukah suspended from one wall. Neon-painted oddities are everywhere, paying tribute to Jessie Sanders, the artist behind Fairyland Caverns at Rock City.
The Pièce de Résistance
The *pièce de résistance* is the larger-than-life *Tetris* wall, designed by their friend Nick Lombardy. The game board is built with glass blocks stacked from floor to ceiling. Gamers stand on an elevated deck and use another glass block, wired to function as a joystick, to interact with the game. Lombardy’s creation even garnered attention from **Hackaday online magazine**.
“We just had a damn good time,” Hennen said. “When you build a space in that manner, you just imbue it with personality. You can feel the care that’s been put into it. And I think people feel that, without necessarily knowing where that’s coming from.”
Potential for Expansion
Hennen hinted at another possible expansion, revealing talks about extending the arcade into two of the newly renovated train cars at the nearby Hotel Chalet, formerly known as the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Work could start by the end of summer.
“Lewis and I have established a fantastic creative relationship,” Hennen said. “And Jared has been very open-minded to our crazy ideas. We’ve definitely thrown some his way.”
